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11 essential tools for link building

With a background in PR, I've always integrated the power of persuasion via third parties into my SEO strategies. In this article, I'll outline 11 essential tools for link development via PR strategies and tactics. I encourage you to evaluate these tools for your own PR and SEO efforts.

The news room

The foundational tool in your SEO and PR toolset is a news room -- a dedicated resource for the media and analyst community. Typically consisting of FAQs, backgrounders, press releases, event calendars, awards and recognition, and links to coverage, the online news room is a one-stop shop for the press, yet it also provides value to prospects, customers, partners, and peers.

The 3.0 news room might include "socialized" elements including a dedicated PR-focused blog, social profiles, and even rich media content like webinars, images, audio, and video. Don't forget to enable your news room with social share buttons for all relevant content, since social signals are a key factor in rankings (and certainly improve viral shareability). Over time, it's also advantageous to develop a library of blog posts, articles, presentations, and even books that validate your commitment and industry credentials.

The Fresh Web Explorer is a really great tool because it does a lot of the heavy lifting for you. I also really like their "Just Discovered" feature in OpenSiteExplorer because it helps you find natural links you might have otherwise missed. It's a good way to keep track of who is linking to you.